The Housing Choice Voucher Program assists low-income households. The Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation (DHNP) selects families/individuals from the current HCV waiting list who meet income and eligibility guidelines. A participating household may choose to remain in the unit they are currently living in or move to a unit anywhere in Virginia Beach.

Tenant-based vouchers are attached to you as a tenant. A project-based voucher is attached to a particular property. If you live in a unit with a project-based voucher and you move, the assistance stays with the property and the next tenant uses the voucher. With a tenant-based voucher, you can take it anywhere as long as the home you wish to rent accepts HCV and meets the standards of the Housing Choice Voucher program.

DHNP calculates the amount of assistance each family receives. The level of assistance is based upon family size, income, and current reasonable market rents. A household is expected to pay 30% to 70% of it's income toward the monthly rent. Each month, DHNP makes housing assistance payments directly to the landlord to make up the difference.

The renter must pay all rent and utilities that are not covered by the lease. Because the family is receiving assistance, the rent burden should be reduced, enabling the family to pay rent more easily and on time. Renters must pay their rent on time according to the terms of their lease. Tenants are also responsible for abiding by the terms and conditions spelled out in the tenancy addendum.

What are the terms of the lease?The term of the lease will be a minimum of 12 months but may not total 365 days. The HAP and lease beginning and ending dates must coincide. All HAPs and leases will end on the last day of the month prior to the start month (i.e. starts 11/03/11 - ends 10/31/12)

What if the landlord wants to terminate the lease?If the lease term is a month to month, the property owner or manager can give the tenant a legal notice to vacate at anytime. Upon the end of a specific lease term (6 months, 1 year, etc), the agreement rolls over into a month to month unless the owner and the tenant choose to sign a new lease. If the owner wants a tenant to vacate who has NOT fulfilled their lease term, the owner can only give the tenant a notice WITH CAUSE and with the proper action according to the Virginia Landlord Tenant Act (VRLTA).